2009 Best in Category: Green House Awards

Preserve

Preserve Kitchen

In designing the Preserve Kitchenware Line, for Recycline, it was design imitating nature. “Creating the Preserve Kitchen Line, we derived a lot of inspiration from nature and organic shapes,” said Ben Anderson, director/product development at Recycline. For example, the food storage containers resemble apples, the small colanders look like strawberries and the small mixing bowls were inspired by geese on a pond, he noted.

Not only does the Preserve kitchenware line evoke nature’s elements, it has been designed with the earth in mind from a sustainability perspective as well. Made from 100% recycled plastic that is also 100% recyclable and can be tossed into the recycling bin when discarded, Preserve Kitchenware is made in the U.S. to minimize the fuel costs associated with shipping from overseas.

“All of our products are designed with sustainable principles in mind: for example, creating a durable product with a long life, creating products that nest well for efficient transportation, and using efficient manufacturing techniques,” Anderson said. Even the packaging is sustainable, made from recycled/recyclable materials and kept to a minimum so as not to add weight or waste to the product.

Creating products with sustainability in mind is not without its challenges. Preserve had to work around limitations to make sure that its products were 100% recyclable. Anderson cited the Preserve cutting boards as a prime example. “Most cutting boards have rubber feet to help prevent sliding on the countertop but we needed to make a cutting board from just polypropylene so it can be recycled at the end of its life. We accomplished the same functionality by adding a handle that changed the heft and balance of the cutting board, preventing slippage,” Anderson noted.

Preserve kept the consumer top of mind as well in the design of its Preserve Kitchenware line, creating a line of products that boast cheerful colors, organic shapes and are dishwasher-safe.

“We aim to make stylish, high-performance, eco-friendly products,” said Anderson, and the successful introduction of the Preserve Kitchenware collection has garnered Recycline a Housewares Design Award Greenhouse Honor as a result.